SMALL PROPERTIES

• Especially flammable b/c:• Lack room for a greenbelt• Higher housing density – more

flammable materials• Older home pose greater fire risk

–mature veg, older roof materials

• Use zone 1 & 2 plants – most fire retardant

• Gates between fences allows for ease of access – gridlock common in fires

• Vegetation along road shoulders should be ground covers

• Overhanging branches should be pruned ≥ 16 ft. above road

FENCES• Contribute enormous amounts of fuel to a home

site

• Cheap & ignitable woods are common building material

• Vegetation typically planted on both sides of fence

• Four Main Functions: 1. Visual Barrier: most flammable, only use wood

where screening view

2. Sound Barrier: most expensive, best barrier materials are non-flammable (i.e. concrete, bricks, stucco, etc.)

3. Barrier to Entry: can be least flammable & cheapest (i.e. chain link and strong wire-mesh @ 4 x 4 posts)

4. Aesthetic Divisions: typically ornamental, rocks, bricks, and large lumber are ideal

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PLANTS &

PREVENTION

3 GAUGES OF FLAMMABILITY

1. IGNITABILITY• The seconds it takes to burst into flames when exposed to 650°F – 1100°F• Leaf thickness & moisture content directly linked to ignitability• Ex: Succulents are harder to ignite than grasses

2. SUSTAINABILITY• Ability to keep a fire going• Plant fuel determines sustainability• Ex: Grass (not sustainable) vs. Chaparral (sustains fire)

3. COMBUSTIBILITY• The amount of heat a plant is capable of producing when on fire• Determined by tissue density and chemical composition• Ex: Oak is harder to ignite than pine

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS• Deciduous plants < Evergreens

• Broadleaf plants < Needle-like leaves

• Moist/pliable leaves < stiff/leathery leaves

• Thick leaves < thin leaves

• Low litter producing plants < High litter producing plants

• Watery sap < thick/gummy/resinous sap

• No fragrance < fragrance

• Silver leaves (high mineral & ash content) < other leaves• Not true for native fragrant sages

• Leaves w/o hair < leaves with hair

ANY PLANT CAN CATCH FIRE !

RAINWATER HARVESTING

• Catchment tanks

• Rain gardens

• Swales

• Depressions

• Rain catchment drain

1” rain on 1,000 ft2 roof = 623 gal. of water

BENEFITS OF

NATIVE PLANTS

• Adapted to fire ecology

• Drought tolerant –saves water

• Supports native animal species

• Less fertilizer & maintenance

• Beauty

Why I Landscape with Natives…

• Maintains food sources and habitat for native animals (invertebrates included) within suburban environments

• Requires less maintenance, feeding, and water requirements than most exotics

• Adapted to local climate – more likely to adapt to future changes

• Thousands of varieties to choose from

• Responsibility to the environment

• Opportunity expand shrinking habitats

NATIVE PLANT

DESIGN

• Mimic scenes found in nature• Repetition• Grouping• Mass planting

• Simplicity

• Texture

NATIVE PLANTS & POLLINATORS• Intensive monocropping, urban sprawl, pollution,

etc. have destroyed and fragmented native pollinator habitats

• Remaining habitats often degraded by invasive/non-native plants

• At least 200 species of pollinators are considered threatened or extinct by the World Conservation Union

• Pollinators: • Bees: ~4,000 species, mostly solitary ground nesting

species• Butterflies: 700+ native species in NA• Moths: nocturnal – rely on night-blooming flowers• Beetles & Flies: mimic bees to evade predation• Bats: nocturnal pollinator• Hummingbirds: forage and shelter in shrubs, trees,

and vines

CONTACT MEleafandtrowel@gmail.com

(619) 964-7165Matt Prendergast

Leaf & Trowel Landscape Designs